just another week...

Power lunch observed out my office window

Creativity at the new magnetic chalkboard wall

Radical designs for The Barn Quilt Project


Research for the upcoming vacation


Kudos from online friends

photos:

1 May 2008 deer in the yard
1 May 2008 Melissa's latest painting project
1 May 2008 Racheal likes pink

Banff for Dummies! Perfectly appropriate reading material.

Thanks to blogger June for this neat award!

rewarding

Our Tumblin Falls cache has been voted the 2007 Outstanding Scenic Location cache by the Georgia Geocachers Association. Thanks GGA!

So if you are in the area, come see us and hike to the falls, and see if you can find the cache hidden there.




Awards are making the blog rounds, it seems like we are all in a circle patting each other on the back. Well, who couldn't use a pat on the back once in a while? I am glad to be in this loop, thanks to Bonnie and June.

Thanks to these two blogfriends, awards have been given out to everyone on my list, so congratulations to all, and hope everyone has a rewarding weekend!

one thing leads to another

Wiley coyote ~ After heading out to wait for the school bus yesterday morning, the grandkids came rushing back into the house talking about the coyote standing in the driveway. This was no cartoon coyote, or just another excuse to miss school, the howling backed up their story. Ah, just another adventure of life in the country.



Newsworthy ~ Speaking of cartoons, daughter Carrie's favorite television channel is Cartoon Network. By watching this collection of programming (Sponge Bob, etc.), she is shielded from any current events. Joining us for supper and watching the evening news over the last few months, she has been enlightened by the fact that a woman is running for president (really?), by the possibility of a recession (what's that?), but her favorite part of the show is still the commercials.

Target ads ~ Speaking of the news, watching it has confirmed the fact that the news is almost always bad, but not nearly as bad as the commercials during the news. Why are all the ads during the evening news for laxatives, adult diapers, ED, high blood pressure, heart disease, bladder control, and arthritis. Here's a thought - what if the television is programmed to sense the age group in the room, and target with age-related ads? Are we really that old? Are we all constipated? Are our bodily functions out of control? Who knew?



Home alone ~Speaking of being out of control, I received a call from daughter Melissa this week. Her 13-year-old Sarah was scheduled to spend her first afternoon as a latchkey kid. In preparation for this, Melissa hid the key to the 4-wheeler, made up a long list of stuff to keep her busy, and called me to 'check' on her periodically. Melissa used to be a latchkey kid, I wonder what she was so worried about, she never got into any trouble...


Bodacious blogs
~ Janeywan at Life in Westcliffe has bestowed upon me the Bodacious Blog award, thanks! I looked up bodacious at Websters and found these 2 definitions: 1) incorrigible, and 2) unrestrained by convention or propriety. Very interesting! Passing this one on to some fellow Georgia bloggers:

Dot at Strolling Through Georgia: A photo a day from the State of Georgia.

Joann at Higher Ground journals her journey with breast cancer with Welcome to the latest news of the Boobs.

Mary Zelda - a very interesting approach, real family stories as told by Mary Zelda - A Fictive Account - In Her Words - If She Blogged. Characters and events in this story are real. Conversations are remembered or imagined.

I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. ~Groucho Marx

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right? ~Charles M. Schulz

Dance like it hurts, Love like you need money, Work when people are watching. ~Scott Adams

Wrapping up another week here, TGIF!

turkey trot

The turkeys are back!

Don't they know that tomorrow is turkey day?

Don't they see the turkey deep fryer getting filled with oil,

the turkey platter coming out of the cabinet?

They travel in a group, flock, or posse, a community of turkeys traveling around visiting the neighbors, seeing what is new.



Like the turkeys, there is also a community of bloggers. Since I work at home, it helps me stay 'connected' with other folks without dealing with the office politics. Just hanging out 'round the virtual water cooler, occasionally offering my two cents' worth.



I check in with my neighbors out in blogland to see what they are up to, what stories or pictures they have to share. One of my neighbors up in Tennessee, Byron at Knoxville Trivia Blog recently received the Community Blogger Award and kindly passed it on to me!

"The Community Blog Award celebrates people who reach out and makes the blogger community a better one."

Byron described my blog:

"She takes beautiful photographs. She blogs about the kind of things that I like, such as family, mountains, old barns and a plethora of other subjects. She's as country as barbed wire and bailing twine, and not ashamed to admit it, and I like that."

He went on to reference my "where I'm from" post, and said,

"Sounds like we have a lot of the same things in common, only you've been sprinkled and I've been dunked!"

Thanks for the kind words. Hmmm... country as barbed wire and bailing twine?



This award is flying out to more neighbors in the community:

Georgia blogger - Elementary Historyteacher at Georgia on My Mind gathers Georgia bloggers together for a biweekly carnival of Georgia blogs.

Virginia blogger - June at Spatter has joined the blogging community of Floyd, Virginia, a small one-light town chock full of artists and writers and bloggers. She says, "What I write feels and looks like spatter to me...spurts of inspiration."

North Carolina blogger - Gypsy Quilter is part of the quilting community, and says, "Whenever I wander, wherever I roam, if my fabric goes with me, then I feel at home. Some children grow up using every crayon in the box. I still do, only now they are fabric boxes."

Have a great turkey day everyone!


~featured on Georgia Blog Carnival #23

friday collage

It was a one quilt night here, down to 41 - time to snuggle up! Speaking of snuggling up, for 37 years I have been sitting next to my husband in his truck, until now. Yesterday he traded trucks, this one has individual seats with a big console in the middle. After 37 years I am relegated to the window seat… it's the end of an era 'round here.


It is that time of year again, our town is gearing up for the annual Apple Festival. Signs are going up to direct traffic, crafters are coming into town from all over.

Locals are pulling out anything and everything they can sell - from homemade crafts to baked goods to yard sale stuff - and setting up on the side of the roads. Come on out and join us! (daughter Melissa's yard sale is next to Hudson's Apple house).


Where do these awards come from? Do bloggers just make them up? Sounds good to me! I received this Nice Matters award from Bonnie, thanks!

Since there is a cat pictured on the award, this one I am passing along to some blog friends with cats, all nice folks who take good care of their pets: Amy, Finn, Sandy, Holly, and Kerri.

So go and stick it on your blog and pay it forward because Nice Matters!



Has it been 10 years?

I've been lately thinking
About my life's time
All the things I've done
And how it's been
And I can't help believing
In my own mind
I know I'm gonna hate to see it end

lyrics from Poems, Prayers, and Promises by John Denver

~quilt photo from my yard in 2005

keep smiling

Do you use smiley faces? Do you receive smiley faces? Do you wish you had a smiley face?

Where did smiley faces come from? Did Forrest Gump come up with them when he wiped his mud-covered face off with a yellow t-shirt, and said "Have a nice day"?

What about the craze of computer smileys, which started out as :) and have evolved into a whole culture of smileys, or emoticons!



No matter how grouchy you're feeling,
You'll find the smile more or less healing.
It grows in a wreath
All around the front teeth -
Thus preserving the face from congealing.
~Anthony Euwer

Here is a 'you make me smile award' from fellow blogger (and quilter and transcriptionist) Gypsy Quilter, who recently passed it on to me, thanks!



Smiling is infectious,
U can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too,
Now I am passing it on to you!



Some smile quotes from the Quote Garden

origin of the smiley face

rewarding

A recent inquiry by blogger June asked for my 5 strengths as a writer.

I am no writer, so I don't really have strengths as such, so instead I will share why I do this… blog thing.

1. Keeping track - I like to be organized (blame years of clerical work), so I like to document what goes on around here on a daily basis, whether it be events, adventures, seasonal changes, or just what the kids and grandkids are up to, so someday I can look back and read about them - when I don't actually remember them anymore…

2. Picture perfect - I like to include pictures along with stories, or maybe just a picture - a picture is worth a thousand words.



3. Family circle - I like to tell some family stories, history, things to pass on to future generations.



4. Pause and reflect - what is on my mind at the moment - observations, musings, reflections - along with ideas, poetry, movies, books, music, quotes, patchwork.

5. Reach out and touch - I like connecting with people either in person or online, reading comments, getting feedback, making new friends.

I also find it rewarding:



I recently received this Blogger Reflection Award from Liz at Southern Highlands Cam.

Like Liz, I don't usually pass on chain emails or memes, but I would like to thank her for thinking of me on this one.

Liz is located in nearby Murphy, NC and always has great pictures of our local mountains, lakes, small towns, and all the scenery in between. And, like she said, I often find places in her pictures that remind me of growing up here.

Like her picture of the Henn Theatre in Murphy where Buddy and I went once when we were dating. It was a memorable experience, the walk-in theatre was very crowded and loud, during the movie the phone on the wall rang, it was answered by someone who hollered out phone for ... Classic!


And since I have been doing this for 2 years now, I thought maybe it is time for a new look, so I changed my background template and colors!

wrapping it up once again

Another week is gone, another month is gone, where does all the time go?

~speaking of time - Do you have the correct time, the Official Time? Where does the official time come from? When we dial Time & Temperature in our little town, the recording says "From the US Naval Observatory's Master Clock the time is…" It seems the real time is kept here, and right now it is exactly this time.

~job security - Speaking of time once again, I feel as if I haven't had as much of it lately, like I have been chained to this chair for the last couple of weeks, there is no shortage of work with coworkers going on vacation, etc. Vacation, what was that again?


~beach bums - Oh yeah, I remember, vacation - that is where we were this time last year, at the beach. I heard on the news the other day that the PEAK of the hurricane season is September 10th, why does that date sound familiar? Oh yes, that is when we have reservations at the beach this year… sounds like another adventure awaits us!



~bats in the belfry - Are we crazy for going to the beach during hurricane season? Probably, but hey, we take it when we can get it! I always knew we were a little crazy, but this proves it - we have a bat in our belfry! This little fellow must have hitched a ride with us from our recent caving adventure!

~speed reader - Buddy really needs a vacation - his job is at that point of ultimate stress - the last few weeks. He wakes up in the middle of the night worrying about things that didn't get done yet, things that need to be done. He gets up and writes it down, but still can't sleep, so he reads. He is really going through the books. Note to self - stop at the library this weekend and stock up again!


~stay cool With the temperatures in the 90s every day this week, it is hard to remember this snow day back in February. Is that really snow? cool...

~back to school - Yes, the time is traveling fast. Summer is still here in full force, but school started here yesterday, bummer. My favorite first day of school cartoon here.


~thanks - Bonnie over at Wordsmith has bestowed upon me the Thoughtful Blogger Award. Like I told her - "There are always a lot of thoughts running around in the old noggin, but the hard part is getting them out!" Maybe I should get up in the middle of the night with Buddy and write things down - not! Well, actually it is before daylight right now...


~thoughts - speaking of thoughts - here are some some things found/seen/heard this week:

Children will follow your footsteps
Before following your advice

It is always too soon to quit
But never too late to start

Dance like nobody's watching
Eat like everyone is

rockin'

Rockin' chairs, rockin' babies, rock-a-bye, rock of ages
Side by side we'll be together always
And if you'll hold me tight when you love me
That's all I'll ask of you
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years

I have been tagged by Bonnie as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. Bonnie kindly said:

"Susan is a poet, photographer, thinker, writer, grandmother, nature lover. I'm finding more and more to like about her as we email back and forth and comment on each other's blogs. This lady rocks!"

Me rock? Cool! Thanks Bonnie.


In turn, I will pass this honor on to some of my favorite blog reads:

Jelly at Jellyhead Rambles is a doctor in Australia with funny stories about her husband Fatty, two kids, and the wildlife on her Mum's farm. She was recently overheard saying: I know I should yearn for world peace, but inwardly I'm always dreaming of having taut thighs.

Sandy at Abandoned in Pasedena is a grandmother and greatgrandmother in Kentucky who likes to ride her motorcycle. Sandy's motto is: ANY DAY ABOVE GROUND IS A GOOD ONE!

Janet at Life in Westcliffe - A visit to Janet's blog is worth it for the beautiful pictures of Colorado, she is a champion for the environment and other causes, she recently donated her long hair to Locks of Love and helped clean up a hiking trail.

Finn at Pieces from my Scrapbag - Finn lives in Wisconsin and creates beautiful quilts, but her stories and thoughts on life are her real works of art: I have come to believe that life is much like a quilt. As the Quiltmaker, you are given pieces to work with. How you view them, and how you choose to use them is up to you.

~photo of our deck September 2006
~lyrics of Rockin' Years by Dolly Parton